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After searching through the forums I didn't find any one location that compiled all the info together, so I'll ask the question myself.

I started trying to get myself more in shape and athletic about 9 months ago. I started running and biking. There were a number of times when biking over the summer that life would have been easier with some sunglasses but I dealt with it.

I was running recently (through the snow) and it was just so annoyingly bright... I think it's time to invest in some prescription shades.

I'd like to get wrap around sunglasses but I really don't know anything about them. Also, I'm pretty sure the local eye-guys (Lenscrafters) who I go to for everything won't offer them in store, so if I have to order online it'll be a whole new experience for me.

These guys, these and these look nifty, but I don't know anything about practicality. What should I look for? Tint, polarized, this style lens or that, this curvature or that? I should add that my prescription is strong for near-sightedness, my sphere is -4.25...

EDIT: Here is information from various people who replied to this thread.

Oakley's are out of consideration for you, and me. I wanted a pair of Jawbones or Flak Jacket XLJ's but they only go up to a +2 or -2. I'm a +3.5 and just got Rudy Project's. Some of the Rudy's go up to +6/-6. I would call Sports Optical. They know what works in prescription sunglasses. Call them and review your prescription with them, they can tell you what pairs will work best for you.

I chose Rudy Project Horus frames and got two sets of RX swappable lenses. One is polarized brown for day to day use and the other is yellow for flat light and night riding. Both are single vision. I've done progressives in the past and I can't stand the distortion I get from the wrap.

Adidas Evil Eye
Prescription insert is much smaller than outer lens, but is light and takes care of central vision in a non-distorted way. Great peripheral vision. Outer lenses swap out for amber, yellow, clear. Insert (not to scale in picture) will take massive +/- prescriptions. I have two pairs.

I should add that my prescription is strong for near-sightedness, my sphere is -4.25...

There's a pretty good chance you won't be able to find anything. I am also quite near-sighted, and tried to get wrap around prescription sunglasses, and was informed that they couldn't be made for me. The reason given was because that type of sunglasses have a curve to them which ends up distorting the lenses.

I tried to order them from several local glasses shops, and they would have been able to order them for me (so you can indeed try Lens Crafters), but they all told me that it would be a waste of something in the neighborhood of $500.

So I went with sunglasses with prescription inserts from MEC. Those glasses were under $100 ... and are useless. They had to curve the lense ever-so-slightly which distorted it, and I cannot use them for cycling.

There's a pretty good chance you won't be able to find anything. I am also quite near-sighted, and tried to get wrap around prescription sunglasses, and was informed that they couldn't be made for me. The reason given was because that type of sunglasses have a curve to them which ends up distorting the lenses.

I tried to order them from several local glasses shops, and they would have been able to order them for me (so you can indeed try Lens Crafters), but they all told me that it would be a waste of something in the neighborhood of $500.

So I went with sunglasses with prescription inserts from MEC. Those glasses were under $100 ... and are useless. They had to curve the lense ever-so-slightly which distorted it, and I cannot use them for cycling.

Talk to your Lens Crafters and see what they say.

There is a firm here in the UK which can supply curved lenses with any prescription. They do not use inserts but have a computer programme which can do this. I've used them and the quality and price are good.http://www.optilabs.com/site/prods.php?pfid=0,8,11

There's a pretty good chance you won't be able to find anything. I am also quite near-sighted, and tried to get wrap around prescription sunglasses, and was informed that they couldn't be made for me. The reason given was because that type of sunglasses have a curve to them which ends up distorting the lenses.

I tried to order them from several local glasses shops, and they would have been able to order them for me (so you can indeed try Lens Crafters), but they all told me that it would be a waste of something in the neighborhood of $500.

So I went with sunglasses with prescription inserts from MEC. Those glasses were under $100 ... and are useless. They had to curve the lense ever-so-slightly which distorted it, and I cannot use them for cycling.

Talk to your Lens Crafters and see what they say.

There is a firm here in the UK which can supply curved lenses with any prescription. They do not use inserts but have a computer programme which can do this. I've used them and the quality and price are good.http://www.optilabs.com/site/prods.php?pfid=0,8,11

After searching through the forums I didn't find any one location that compiled all the info together, so I'll ask the question myself.

I started trying to get myself more in shape and athletic about 9 months ago. I started running and biking. There were a number of times when biking over the summer that life would have been easier with some sunglasses but I dealt with it.

I was running recently (through the snow) and it was just so annoyingly bright... I think it's time to invest in some prescription shades.

I'd like to get wrap around sunglasses but I really don't know anything about them. Also, I'm pretty sure the local eye-guys (Lenscrafters) who I go to for everything won't offer them in store, so if I have to order online it'll be a whole new experience for me.

These guys, these and these look nifty, but I don't know anything about practicality. What should I look for? Tint, polarized, this style lens or that, this curvature or that? I should add that my prescription is strong for near-sightedness, my sphere is -4.25...

After searching through the forums I didn't find any one location that compiled all the info together, so I'll ask the question myself.

I started trying to get myself more in shape and athletic about 9 months ago. I started running and biking. There were a number of times when biking over the summer that life would have been easier with some sunglasses but I dealt with it.

I was running recently (through the snow) and it was just so annoyingly bright... I think it's time to invest in some prescription shades.

I'd like to get wrap around sunglasses but I really don't know anything about them. Also, I'm pretty sure the local eye-guys (Lenscrafters) who I go to for everything won't offer them in store, so if I have to order online it'll be a whole new experience for me.

These guys, these and these look nifty, but I don't know anything about practicality. What should I look for? Tint, polarized, this style lens or that, this curvature or that? I should add that my prescription is strong for near-sightedness, my sphere is -4.25...

In an ideal world I would hope to avoid the use of inserts, and have one set of lenses that's combined and does everything and also makes my coffee and washes my bike.

I checked Rudy Project out, it's true that a lot of their lenses can't do that extreme of a prescription (just like everyone else, it seems) but the Horus and a few can do it (those that are less 'wrap around').

I think if it were impossible to get my prescription in wrap around, and my choice was a set of lenses with inserts, OR sunglasses that aren't wrap arounds, I'd go for the latter. It seems like a simpler solution, to have just one pair of glasses, with one pair of lenses. I'm going to go through all the web sites you guys have suggested, though, as well as ask Lenscrafters and see what they can cook up.

In an ideal world I would hope to avoid the use of inserts, and have one set of lenses that's combined and does everything and also makes my coffee and washes my bike.

I checked Rudy Project out, it's true that a lot of their lenses can't do that extreme of a prescription (just like everyone else, it seems) but the Horus and a few can do it (those that are less 'wrap around').

I think if it were impossible to get my prescription in wrap around, and my choice was a set of lenses with inserts, OR sunglasses that aren't wrap arounds, I'd go for the latter. It seems like a simpler solution, to have just one pair of glasses, with one pair of lenses. I'm going to go through all the web sites you guys have suggested, though, as well as ask Lenscrafters and see what they can cook up.

I just went through this 6 weeks ago. I wanted wraparounds because of better protection from wind tears. I bought a pair of Serenghetti wrap around glasses from Costco's opticial department. They took out the original lenses and replaced them with polarized prescription lenses. After 1 week of wearing them I couldn't take the distortion and "searching" necessary to bring proper focus. They refunded my money (I and my wife are long time regular customers there) and I bought a prescription glasses that were "flatter" with a larger lens size than I wear normally. YMMV

With a -7 prescription, the local optician had laughed at me for years when I'd ask about these wraparound sport-type sunglases. Last summer, I dutifully asked again and he set me up with a pair from Liberty Sport. One of the best purchases I've ever made.

I've been looking for a decent pair of wraparound prescription glasses with no success. I'm quite nearsighted, -4.75 spherical in one eye and -6.75 in the other, so I don't have a lot of choices.

Right now I use a pair of SolarShield fit-over sunglasses (the kind that Nightshade recommended). They're dirt cheap, and they work great, but I wish I could get them with photosensitive film.

Do what I do. I always order photosensitive prescription lenses in my street glasses. They work in concert with the Solar Shields to provide a mix of light/dark that works well except deep shade or nighttime.

__________________
My preferred bicycle brand is.......WORKSMAN CYCLES
I dislike clipless pedals on any city bike since I feel they are unsafe.

Originally Posted by krazygluon
Steel: nearly a thousand years of metallurgical development
Aluminum: barely a hundred, which one would you rather have under your butt at 30mph?

Tried that a while back. One eye required a toroidal lens, which was exceptionally fragile. Mine tore every other week- and they weren't disposable. I went back to glasses, and Bollé sunglasses with prescription insert. They've worked for me for almost 20 years.

I'm going to stop by Lenscrafters sometime this week if I can (been busy). I sent some emails to a few of the companies mentioned at the beginning of this thread. SportRX Prescription Eyewear replied with a recommendation for the Rudy Project Horus.

Lenscrafters confirmed that my prescription is too strong for them to manufacturer Oakleys or any other lens that aren't standard, looking straight ahead deals. They suggested contacts and their designer sunglasses instead.

I contacted a few of the companies you guys have mentioned, and ALL of them recommended Rudy Project. Horus came up the most times, although the Ekynox SX and the Ketyu came up.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with Rudy Project. Thing is, they have a sweet deal going on right now. When you buy your sunglasses from them, they will give you a free backpack or duffel bag, a ball cap, helmet, and a t-shirt. Colors are your choice. I checked reviews on individual items and people think the stuff is pretty good. It sounds like a good catch, especially since the glasses are so darn expensive.

I'm not sure on what kind of lenses I plan to get but the Rudy Project Horus seems to be a decent, comfortable looking result for myself. The Optilabs seem to be on par in quality and price, but there's is a place nearby that I can try the Rudy Project frames, and I think that's pretty important.

I don't remember my prescription numbers offhand, but I had a similar issue to you in that some of the more curvy wrap-arounds I was looking at (Oakley, etc.) couldn't be made in my prescription. I found a Ray-Ban frame that I really like for my cycling glasses. Less curve to the lense itself, but some side protection provided by the arms. And the arms don't inhibit peripheral vision as much as you'd think just from looking at the picture.

Don't know if this is the exact model, but they're very similar to these.

Check the "Only on TV" Brand Section in your neighborhood Walgreens and/or CVS Pharmacies. They now now have a Section for these "Only Sold on TV Products" . There, they stock those plastic wraparounds for around $10 with the Prescription Correction already built in. Nice side peripheal protection also The only problem is they have a limited selection of corrective spheres and sometimes they aren't exact as they jump incrementally from +1.75 to 2.00+ to 2.50+ to 3.00+. In my case my correction is around 2.25 and they don't stock any in 2.25 so I had to settle for +2.00 and the other problem is they have the same correction in each eye while my eyes vary. Still for $10 for use for a 2-3 hour bike outing or backup, they are extremly useful. Great Deal for $10 if your correction falls in between what they stock.

I went through all the choices you have tried a couple years ago. In a last ditch effort I walked into the eyeglass part of the Walmart and they had some wraparound sunglasses that didn't have a lot of curve to the lens. I can't remember the brand, but they were advertised as motorcycle glasses and they could make them with a much stronger prescription than anyplace else. I have worn them almost daily since a got them.